A Night's Sleep
by AnyMonoUs
Summary: Bulma is away on a business trip and Vegeta is left to tend to Bra who is going through a phase of needing to sleep in her parents bed.


Disclaimer: I don't own these character's or claim to.

Just a little bedtime scene I couldn't get out of my head. Please enjoy :)

* * *

**A Night's Sleep**

Vegeta was sure that it was never this bad before. Perhaps he wasn't the best judge of it since he hadn't been around as much as he should have been and Bulma was usually around to take care of it. But at least when Trunks was a small child he remembered being able to get a full night's sleep without being interrupted.

He'd been used to no sleep once upon a time. One of the more effective torture methods used by Freiza in his youth. Either blaring alarms in his room in the early hours or sending guards in when he'd just hit the deepest part of his sleep to yank him from his bed and beat him to a pulp. His body had trained itself to never fall into a deep sleep. Saiyans by nature were deep sleepers but he'd managed to overcome the challenge of his race and never truly relax.

But when he'd found what amounted to peace on Earth with the woman that was now his wife, his body had given into its nature and enjoyed deep sleeps once again.

Or at least he had until... "Daddy..." A tiny, sweet and adorable voice said after the loud swishing of his bedroom door had awoken him. Yes, he'd had lovely deep sleeps until being graced with the beauty of a daughter.

"What is it now, Bra?" Vegeta mumbled not even able to lift his head from the pillow. This was third time this evening she'd woken him up.

"I had a bad dream Daddy," This lifted his head and he saw her small silhouette in the doorway, and the tremble he heard in her voice suggested she was being truthful.

Bra was going through a small phase of not wanting to sleep in her own bed and wanting to sleep in with her parents. Bulma had said before she'd left for her business trip away to "Stick to the routine and don't let her sleep in with you", because being the genius manipulator she was (which she'd no doubt inherited from her mother) the small child would think she'd always win if she continued to do this every night.

Any night when she did sleep in with them meant a terrible night sleep for him. It wasn't the waking up so much that bothered him or the arms and legs in his face, or the lack of any room either of the two girls afforded him - it was the snoring. The adorable little thing snored and his Saiyan hearing in-tune to all sounds around him meant he kept awake and alert to it all night.

So thankfully, night 1 Bra had slept through. Night 2 he'd had a late night himself so had not found it a bother when she'd come to find him and he kept taking her back to bed. But tonight on night 3 and being woken up for the third time, he couldn't help it and he caved. "Shut the door, and come here." Vegeta growled slowly pushing himself up to sitting. He watched the 3 year old walk across the bedroom, and climb up into the bed next to him into the empty space that was meant to be occupied by his wife.

Wasting no time Bra crushed herself against her father's nude torso seeking his comfort. This was still something about fatherhood he found bizarre. Didn't this small little thing know that by the hand that he'd placed tenderly on her back, he could blow up an entire planet and people had once cowered at his feet in pleading for their lives? No she didn't. And for what its worth he didn't really ever intend for her to find out. Still, the notion that he the Prince of all Saiyans was now being cuddled for comfort by his half-human daughter would no doubt send many of the Saiyans in the next life spare with anger and insanity. Screw them, Vegeta merely thought with a crease of his brow.

Bra pulled away from her father's chest and her eyes caught sight of something that confused her. Vegeta felt a finger poke on his peck and saw that her big blue eyes were focused on it in concentration – a look definitely inherited from her mother. "What's that, Daddy?" Bra then asked referring to the largest and deepest scar Vegeta bore across his chest. She'd no doubt probably seen it thousands of times but today was when she'd decided to ask about it.

"It's called, a scar." Vegeta said as he settled back against the headboard, tucking Bra against his flank and shoulder. "You get them if you hurt yourself badly."

A gasp escaped her before she asked "Are you okay?"

Vegeta sniffed a laugh, cuddled her closer and pressed a fatherly kiss to her forehead. "I got it a long time ago. Nothing hurts me any more." He smirked as his mind flashed back to yesterday to a sparring session with Goku where they'd both knocked each other unconscious and remembered the subsequent hours of agony as his bones and muscles healed but chose not to inform her of that. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Yes. Mummy didn't come home and when I came to find you I only found a monster." Bra explained as she huddled against her father and it cut inside his heart for a moment. Not only because she'd had any cause for fear but because a part of him knew that in reality when she'd gone looking for her mother tonight, she'd found a monster and he was it. "But then you found me Daddy, and saved me!" Bra carried on before falling quiet as she laid back against him.

Vegeta felt Bra then began to prod her fingers on the veins she could see just under his skin. She was always fascinated by them and how they protruded enough for her to press down on them, and sometimes when he'd come in from training and his muscles were bulging meaning there were more, her fingers would dance across them as if trying to press them all closed.

Times like this took him back to his own childhood. This kind of interaction between father and child would be forbidden on the Saiyan home world, especially within the royal family. The word 'love' didn't even really exist in their language. Affection and expressing it openly took away from training. Saiyan hierarchy felt it would weaken them all and therefore the only affection that was ever allowed was between mother and child since it was necessary. However even that in the royal family was somewhat outlawed. He and Tarble had their mother up until the age of a year before she was banished from their lives. They were taken from her for their 'Princely Duties' and they never got to see her again. Their 'Princely duties' were studies and training all day every day. Their father would occasionally check in on them to check over their progress and eventually decided that Tarble was not the true heir so sent him off world so the training and studies could focus on him.

He'd never had or felt the type of parental love he'd been shown here on Earth, never even seen it to his knowledge with all the worlds he'd been to. Bulma had shown him a whole new world, and slowly bit by bit brought him into it but Trunks and Bra picked him up and threw him there. And in doing so he'd become mentally, emotionally and physically stronger than any of the Saiyans had ever considered. Back on Vegeasei a Super Saiyan was a legend, something unachievable and yet here he was surpassing it and able to achieve the power of a God.

"Daddy, make magic!" Bra sent up a beautiful smile at him. Vegeta smirked in reply before out the end of his index finger he created a blue orb of energy. Bra giggled in thrilled entertainment before she reached out for it. Vegeta let it dissipate it instantly knowing that she wouldn't be able to take the power of it yet - she would one day, just not yet. He'd make her the strongest female fighter the universe had ever seen. He pressed another kiss to her forehead.

A loud yawn was then heard and he felt the small child snuggle down further against him before she sleepily said "I love you, Daddy."

* * *

Bulma crept through the house in the late-early hours of the morning. Dawn would be rising soon, and she was tired. In her youth when she'd be returning at this time she'd just stay up for another day, but now older her body couldn't take it. She'd sneak into bed, sleep for a few hours, wake up about midday and hopefully it will be okay tomorrow. Thoughts had recently entered her mind to slow down the business trips anyway. Quick stops here and there would be fine, but not the days or weeks away any more.

She slid the door open to her bedroom and tried really hard to be quiet. No matter how quiet she was, Vegeta would always wake up and groan irritably about her 'stomping around'. Sharing living quarters with a man who had superior hearing meant he moaned about a lot about that. Even when he was deeply asleep any noise in the room meant he'd bolt upright, sometimes into battle stance fearing some attack was imminent. He'd told her before about some of what he endured in his times with Freiza so she understood. It had been strange when she didn't know and they were in the beginnings of the relationship, and he was do that. But having the proud, stubborn Saiyan Prince opening up to her about why had really shown her the potential of their relationship that hadn't been good at the time.

Bulma slipped out of her clothes leaving them in a neat pile and almost on her tiptoes crept over to the bed. Instantly she saw father and daughter cuddled up together. She let out a little disappointed sigh, but a large smile came across her mouth. 'Knew you couldn't say no to her forever' Bulma said to him in her mind. From their conversation earlier in the day he'd updated her as to the nightly routine of their daughter and she'd been incredibly impressed when he'd said he'd been putting her back to bed, since when it came to his daughter Vegeta was the biggest softie she'd ever seen. She thought she'd done wonders in the heart of her husband, but that had been brushed aside when Bra came along. Instantly Vegeta had doted on her; changing her diapers, warming her milk, feeding her, putting her to bed, bathing her - things that he would never have even considered when Trunks was a babe. It just showed how much he'd changed even in that short amount of time. She'd been worried about Trunks' reaction seeing how his father acted to Bra but Trunks appeared happy with the change since it had given him a more attentive father too.

She gently lifted her side of the covers and had just slid a leg in when she heard a grumble "As graceful as ever I hear." She looked down to see Vegeta's black eyes staring her with an irritation at having been woken up but a twitch of a smirk at the side of his mouth.

"She's not in her bed I see." Bulma's eyebrows arched smugly at him causing his eyes to lower a little at the sharp wit of the woman, but she smiled since she saw the playfulness he let only her see.

"Said she had a nightmare." Vegeta explained his eyes glancing down to Bra who was lightly snoring, her mouth wide open, drool running down her cheek but as angelic as ever.

"What was it this time?" Bulma sighed getting comfortable then rolling over to lie face to face with him.

"Something about a monster." Vegeta left out the part of her not being there since Bulma would be very guilty if her absence had sunk into into their little girl's dreams enough to upset her. He knew she considered him to be the 'soft touch' in the parenting styles of their daughter, and she was probably right, but that didn't mean to say she wasn't somebody who spoiled their children with all the love, affection and gifts they could ever have. It was in fact one first qualities that had spellbound him about her. Of course her fight, her unbridled strong will were the first things, but the generosity of offering a home to him because he had nowhere to go would always stay with him. Left him forever in her debt, one he doubt he'd ever pay off since it kept getting added to.

"I'm tired." Bulma said as she yawned widely. When she opened her eyes she found Vegeta still staring her. There was a look in his face that she understood and it made her smile. "I missed you too." Her hand touched on his cheek gently for a few seconds before she pressed her lips on his for even fewer seconds since she found herself pressing on Bra who then proceeded to wake up.

"Mm..." Bra said before seeing her mother "...Mama!" Bra cried happily reaching up her arms to the mother hovering over her. Bulma gave an apologetic look to Vegeta for seriously waking him up now before beaming down at the child.

"Hello baby." Bulma lent down and Bra circled her neck.

"Mama, look Daddy hurt himself!" Bra then cried out when they'd pulled away and pointed to the scar on Vegeta's chest. Bulma's forehead creased in both concern and confusion - firstly looking for evidence of any injury to her husband and when not finding any wondering what her daughter meant. Her daughter then jabbed her finger to the scar. A glance to Vegeta told her she was seeing what she was meant to.

"It was a long time ago, baby." Bulma assured her as she took this opportunity to move Bra and sidle into the space next to her husband, given she just couldn't sleep well enough without the heat that he gave off. Every bed felt freezing to her without him in it. She dumped Bra onto her lap smiling at the child now straddling her hips. "And he's not going to be so stupid enough to get hurt again, is he?" Bulma then turned and directed her gaze on him.

"Pfft, yeah, let's see how that goes." Vegeta agreed sarcastically and Bulma laughed knowing it would probably later that day when Vegeta would be adding to his scars collection. Bra rubbed her eyes tiredly again and laid out on her mother who arranged the sheets around them all just as through the windows the sun began to rise. As Bra's head rested on her chest and she rested hers on Vegeta's shoulder, she fell into a blissful sleep.

Vegeta took the chance to look at his two beautiful girls, and closed his eyes to fall asleep when on cue both of them started snoring.


End file.
